Professional Accolades
Rieks named Chief Information Officer
Fredonia has selected Stephen J. Rieks to be its Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer. He previously served as Director of Administrative Computing Systems at Syracuse University, where he steadily advanced beginning in 1997. He began at Fredonia in May and will manage a multi-tiered, complex Information Technology Services staff of 34 and an operational budget of $4.4 million. He will provide coordination and leadership over several critical, campus-wide projects, including the transition to new learning and content management systems. He will also develop resources and structures that will enhance learning and teaching in Fredonia’s liberal arts environment. Rieks holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse’s Whitman School of Management, and a Master of Science in Information Management, also from Syracuse. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome (now SUNY Polytechnic Institute).
Baldwin leads Office of International Education
Dr. Naomi Baldwin has been named director of Fredonia’s Office of International Education. She serves as Fredonia’s Senior International Officer and oversees all programs, leading the campus in implementing its comprehensive internationalization plan. She also oversees all study abroad and exchange programs, develops and oversees all international academic partnerships and agreements, and works collaboratively with the Office of Admissions, Graduate Studies, the Office of Campus Life, and EC English Fredonia. She earned her doctorate with two areas of focus in Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Prior to her appointment at Fredonia, she lived and taught in South Korea for nearly six years.
Bezek named Admissions Director
Cory Bezek, ’02, has been named Director of Admissions. During his 10-year career at Fredonia, he has served as Interim Director of Admissions, Associate Director, Assistant Director, Admissions Counselor and Acting Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs. Following the completion of his master’s degree at Vanderbilt University, he worked at the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education. He is currently completing his doctoral work in Higher Education Administration at the University of Buffalo, and recently co-authored his first book, “College Counseling for Admissions Professionals: Improving Access and Retention.” Bezek also served as the President of the State University of New York Admissions Professionals Organization from 2013-14.
Theatre and Dance’s Loughlin enjoys two successes in Buffalo
Department of Theatre and Dance Chair and SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Tom Loughlin appeared in “The Odd Couple” in the role of “Oscar Madison” at the Jewish Repertory Theatre in Buffalo in April and May. In addition, he directed a production of “Romeo and Juliet” for Buffalo’s Shakespeare in Delaware Park this summer, which included performances by five alumni and two current students.
Three Fredonians earn SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
The SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence was awarded to history professors Ellen Litwicki and David Kinkela, and Grounds and Landscaping worker Brent Kawski (left), in recognition of consistently superior professional achievement. Dr. Litwicki was honored for Excellence in Teaching. She is credited with helping to revitalize Fredonia’s American Studies program, while earning praise for blending digital technology, experiential learning and community engagement with traditional classroom instruction. Dr. Kinkela was honored for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, recognizing his record of sustained scholarship in the sciences, humanities and professional studies. He is a founding member of Fredonia’s Sustainability Committee and directs its Honors Program. Mr. Kawski was cited for Excellence in Classified Service, recognizing superlative performance within and beyond the recipient’s position. Over a span of 28 years at Fredonia, he has a proven record of providing exemplary customer service to students, staff and members of the campus community. The system-wide award demonstrates the pride SUNY has in the accomplishments and personal dedication of its instructional faculty, librarians and professional staff at all 64 campuses.
Deemer has choral work premiered at Carnegie Hall
“Eulogy,” a composition by School of Music Associate Professor Rob Deemer, premiered at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on March 13. “Eulogy” is based on Iraq War veteran Brian Turner’s narrative of a soldier who takes his own life on the battlefield in Iraq. Dr. Deemer is a composer, conductor, educator, author and columnist who advocates for composers of all ages and explores the role that contemporary concert music plays in today’s society. Deemer’s extensive and unique career has seen his music performed at the Kennedy Center, Cannes Film Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ralph Wilson Stadium, Joe’s Pub in New York City, Jazz Showcase in Chicago and on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Professor’s poem featured in The Best American Poetry 2015
English Professor Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s poem, “Upon Hearing the News,” was selected by award-winning author Sherman Alexie for inclusion in the volume, The Best American Poetry 2015. Since its debut in 1988, The Best American Poetry has been called a mainstay for the direction and spirit of American poetry. Each volume in the series presents 75 of the year’s most extraordinary new poems and writers. Guest editor Alexie’s picks for The Best American Poetry 2015 highlight the depth and breadth of the American experience. Ms. Nezhukumatathil teaches creative writing and environmental literature. Recent honors include a poetry fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pushcart Prize.
Vanwesenbeeck receives Scaliger Fellowship
Associate Professor of English Birger Vanwesenbeeck received a prestigious Scaliger Fellowship from Leiden University in the Netherlands. It enabled him to spend two weeks this summer at Leiden’s Scaliger Institute to research the archival collection of the Dutch art historian Johan Huizinga. In a 2009 essay included in the volume, William Gaddis: The Last of Something, Dr. Vanwesenbeeck first drew attention to the influence of Huizinga’s work on late modernist American writers such as William Gaddis. The fellowship allowed Vanwesenbeeck to further chart this influence by investigating how Huizinga’s own interest in lateness was in part shaped by his exposure to literary symbolism of the fin de siècle during his youth. His findings will be integrated into his book-in-progress on American late modernism.
Singh publishes scholarly article on pattern-recognition
Gurmukh Singh, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, recently published a research paper on pattern recognition in the peer reviewed international journal, Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications. The article, “Multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis of particle density fluctuations in high-energy nuclear collisions,” was featured in Vol. 424, pp. 25–33 of the April 15 issue. The research is by Dr. Singh in an international collaboration with Dr. A. Mukhopahyaya, of North Bengal University (NBU) in Siliguri, India.
Rogers named SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor
Dr. Robert Rogers, who has taught Mathematical Sciences at Fredonia for nearly 30 years, was promoted to SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees. The system-wide designation recognizes faculty for exceptional teaching and instruction, innovative research opportunities and engaging community service. Rogers previously earned the Fredonia President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has served as editor of the New York State Mathematics Teachers’ Journal, president of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State, and chair and governor of the Mathematical Association of America’s Seaway Section. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University at Buffalo, a M.S. in Mathematics from Syracuse University and a B.S. in Mathematics, with certification in secondary education, from SUNY Buffalo State.
Short film and documentary selected for Niagara Film Festival
Communication Assistant Professor Roslin Smith was honored at the Niagara Film Festival for her 30-minute documentary, “Priscilla’s Legacy.” After shooting in Sierra Leone, Rhode Island and South Carolina over a seven-year period — and an additional two years to edit — “Priscilla’s Legacy” captures the life of a 10-year-old girl sold into slavery in the late 1700s from her Sierra Leone home. As cargo on an American slave ship, she endured a treacherous, 10-week voyage across the Atlantic to Charleston, S.C. She was purchased by Elias Ball, owner of the Comingtee Plantation. For the next 55 years, she worked as a slave in the plantation rice fields. The brave little girl was given an English name: Priscilla. Thomalind Martin Polite, Priscilla’s seventh generation granddaughter, journeyed to her ancestral homeland to bring the spirit of the stolen child home. The film received the Best Regional Short award at the 2014 Charleston Film Festival and was screened in April at the Buffalo Suzuki Strings Theater.
Booth’s sculptures featured in solo exhibition in Buffalo
Sculptures by Distinguished Teaching Professor Robert Booth, chair of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, were featured in a solo exhibition in March at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo. In the exhibition, Professor Booth explored familiarity and the understanding of place, purpose or function. Booth received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University. He has presented his work in more than 90 solo and group exhibitions over the past 30 years. He has been in charge of the Sculpture curriculum at Fredonia since 1978.
Campus ticket office manager elected to international board
Alison Barry, ticketing and audience services manager for the Campus Ticket Office, has been elected to the board of directors for the International Ticketing Association (INTIX). Barry began a three-year term on the board on Jan. 15. INTIX is a nonprofit membership organization that represents more than 1,000 ticketing, sales, technology, finance and marketing professionals from more than 25 countries. Its members work in the world of arts, sports and entertainment, including a full range of public venues and institutions. In addition to serving as manager of the ticket office, Barry is the instructor for the ticket office practicum course for Fredonia’s Arts Administration program.
Finance’s Fitzpatrick has paper published in business journal
Finance Professor Julie Fitzpatrick co-authored a paper, “Estimating the Link between QE3 and Business Investment,” published in a spring edition of The Business Research Consortium Journal of Business. It explores the effectiveness of Quantitative Easing (QE) in stimulating business investment. QE is a tool used by the Federal Reserve to increase the amount of money in the financial markets. In turn, it is expected that this additional money will be invested by businesses in projects such as new plant construction or new equipment purchases. The paper proposes a new development called the “Investment Realization Ratio” that can be used to estimate the amount of investment produced. The goal of this new ratio was to develop a model which could illustrate the relationship of funds put into the financial market and the amount of money spent on business investments in a clear, straightforward manner.
Marketing Communications team honored for new brand
Fredonia’s Marketing and Communications team earned the Best of Category honor for its advertising campaign in support of the university’s newly launched brand identity at the 2015 SUNYCUAD (Council for University Advancement) Awards for Excellence. In addition, the rebranding campaign earned a silver award at the 2015 Excalibur Awards of the Public Relations Society of America’s Buffalo Niagara chapter. Similarly, the Ad Club of Buffalo honored the new logo with a silver 2015 Addy award for its design and creativity.
